School Climate:

I interacted with my student, Erin, in the first grade classroom. The room was bright and
open, with a large window looking outside. I had thought Mrs. Diefenbach was a young teacher
based on the amount of color and effort she had put into her classroom; however, she is a
seasoned veteran of the classroom. A cluster of tables in a U-shape provide desks in the classroom
and a blue carpet in the middle of these desks facing a Smart Board is where the majority of
teaching happens. Outside of this are book cases, seating for reading time, and four computers.
When Erin and I would meet, the seventeen other students in the classroom would be
working on their Daily 5 time in small groups or individually. This would result in a noisy
classroom. It was difficult at times to keep her attention simply because of the noise level. Our
seating options were limited to the work tables positioned in the middle of the room which gave
Erin the opportunity to look around at the other students when she should have been focusing on
the task at hand. There was a corner of the room where I was able to sit with Erin and work with
her quietly on her work. It was important to face her towards the wall to minimize her view of the
business in the classroom.
Physical Development
Throughout my ten-week period of observation, I had the opportunity to play with Erin at
recess one time. I skipped around the playground with her, jumped rope, and did other large-
motor skills. In the classroom, she had a little trouble cutting straight lines, writing neatly within the
lines, and coloring within the lines. Although her large motor skills were on-par with her
classmates, her fine motor skills lacked slightly. Physically, Erin was right where she should be on
the growth chart. She is three feet, eight inches tall and forty-nine pounds.
Cognitive, Lingual, Emotional, and Social Development Observed
During my observation of Erin, I noticed development in certain areas. Cognitively, I
noticed that she thought about reading differently. In the beginning of the year, she would rush
head-first into sentences and not pay attention to her enunciation. The more I worked with her,
the more I emphasized phonics and the proper way to pronounce words and sentences. As she
slowed down and took her time to pronounce the words, her language skills sharpened outside of
our one-on-one time and she began to speak more clearly in her social life. Emotionally, she
learned to self-soothe and to approach problems and words from different angles in order to
determine different solutions. Socially, I noticed a negative change. From what I have heard her
talk about with her classmates, she has entered the early stages of bullying. On one instance, when
students were instructed to pick a partner, Erin expressed to a peer that she didnt want to be
partners with Jessica because she was weird.
Summary Statement
Working with Erin has greatly developed many aspects her learning experience and also
my teaching experience. It was fascinating for me to see her grow and develop in a whole semester.
It was also beneficial for me to witness this transformation so that in the future, I have an idea of
how my students should be developing. Overall, this was a great experience for me and for Erin as
well.